Answer the following questions in 200 words. Remember to support your answers by using the text, articles, and all other materials available to you.
- How does the legal concept of insanity differ from psychiatric explanations of mental illness? Does the insanity defense serve a useful function today? Do you believe in said defense? Do you think many criminals are using this defense to avoid the time of incarceration?
- You recently graduated from Harvard University with a Ph.D. in Psychology. Many of your patients are those who are inmates in the Atlanta, GA area. Some are death row inmates and others are waiting for trial. However, you’ve discovered many have pled insanity. As a doctor, if you could create your own rule for determining insanity in criminal trials, what would it be? How would it differ from existing rules?